What Roman Anthony's Return Means for Red Sox's Left Field, Jarren Duran

The Boston Red Sox are about to have some questions in the outfield with Roman Anthony's imminent return.

Aug 24, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) looks out of the dugout against the Miami Marlins during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Boston Red Sox are about to get Roman Anthony back into the mix, don't expect that to mean that Jarren Duran won't have a role with the club moving forward.

In fact, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy made the point that Anthony doesn't need to be out in left field every day once he returns, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"I don't think it's a case of needing him to play every day," Tracy said of Anthony in left field. "You obviously want him out there. We've seen it with [Masataka Yoshida getting hurt]. Something could happen in a blink and you need him to be out there regularly, so he's got to get reps out there and he's got to get on his feet to play out there. But I don't think it's an everyday scenario that he needs to be able to play the field every single day."

Roman Anthony And Jarren Duran Will Both Help Down The Stretch

May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) bats against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Masataka Yoshida currently on the shelf and likely missing at least the vast majority of the rest of the regular season, the designated hitter spot is up in the air. It's been a revolving door recently with guys like Mickey Gasper and Jahmai Jones getting opportunities. Over these next few days, the Red Sox won't just be getting Anthony back. Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are on rehab stints as well. That means there will be guys coming off the big league roster. Anthony Seigler is someone to watch. Both Gasper and Jones are seemingly up in the air as well.

One thing that hasn't been talked about as much as it probably should this season is the fact that Duran has had a very solid defensive season out in left field. He's in the 89th percentile in outs above average with five. He's also in the 71st percentile in fielding run value. Over his last 13 games, Duran is slashing .289/.347/.467 with an .814 OPS, one homer, two RBIs, one stolen base, and three doubles as well.

When the 2026 season kicked off, Duran clearly didn't adjust well early on to a shifting role. The Red Sox had an outfield logjam and he found himself bouncing between left field, a DH role, and the bench. Arguably, the easiest solution would be keeping him in left field and plugging Anthony in as the DH consistently down the stretch. Then, the Red Sox could still plug in either Jones or Eli White as depth options.

In this scenario, you'd still clearly be improving the lineup thanks to the addition of Anthony, while minimizing disruption elsewhere. Tracy already has made it clear that Anthony doesn't need to be out in left field every day. It may be for the best for him to get most of his playing time down the stretch as the DH once he returns.